Bullets and Bandages
by grey-eyed-goddess
Summary: Sometimes Richard Harrow thinks it would've been easier if he'd just killed Al Roux when they'd met. And honestly, it probably would've. Richard/OC
1. Prologue: Bite Marks

This is going to take place prior to last week's episode. I've no desire to handle the emotional upheaval that is too come. Unlike other things I've written this will probably be updated sporadically and in short bursts. I apologize now for that.

So, enjoy.

Prologue: Bite Marks

Richard Harrow wasn't quite sure why he kept coming back to these sorts of parties. Jimmy always managed to find him a straw and some girl, but by the end of the night the glasses would all be empty and the girl hanging off of Jimmy. A bit of blond hair sat down beside him, and the edge of Richard's mask blocked out her face. The perfume smelled like vanilla, and Richard turned to glance at her with his good eye, his lips trying to twist upwards into a semblance of a smile. She grinned at him. Richard smiled back.

And she turned back to the man on the far end of the couch.

Richard felt his mouth twitch and sighed. The sound bubbled out of his throat and sounded nothing like a sigh. Across the room Jimmy stared at Richard over the top of his glass, and he waved his hand about, brandishing the drink and beckoning Richard over.

"Richard, I'd like you to meet the person who's going to take care of our Manny problem," Jimmy said.

He splashed a bit of whiskey onto the floor, and Richard watched the man sitting across from Jimmy shake it off his shoe.

"Al 'Pretty Boy' Roux."

Al Roux reached out for Richard's hand, and Richard shook it, nodding at Roux. Roux raised an eyebrow at Richard's mask, and opened his mouth to talk.

"You Harrow?"

Richard nodded and Roux brushed his short blonde hair out of his eyes.

"Nice to." Richard felt the hum building up in the back of his throat. "Meet you."

"Likewise, Handsome."

Richard frowned, and felt his face twist into a grimace. Jimmy hadn't heard, a redhead that Harrow was determinedly not looking at had touched his shoulder, but now Jimmy turned back to the two of them.

"Al's going to take care of Manny for us without screwing it up."

"He's a hard." The hum again. "To kill." Richard swallowed.

"Not if I shoot him in the face," Roux said, staring at Richard's mask.

Jimmy laughed, clapped Roux on the shoulder, and turned back to the redhead. Richard glanced at Roux and shifted under the man's case.

"Why did you call me." He had to stop and remember how to say the word. "'Handsome'?"

"You're boss called me 'Pretty Boy'."

They stared at each other. Roux waved his fingers at Richard's ruined face, and Richard Harrow waited for the inevitable question, prepping his mouth to mutter "the war." Roux shifted in his seat and stretched out his lithe legs across the floor.

"Why've you got bite marks on that mask?"

Richard choked.


	2. Chapter One: Barrels

I won't lie, this is going much faster than I'm used to, and I'm sorry about the quality. It's not the worst, but it's certainly not my best. If you'd like to yell at me about it, or tell me anything else, please review.

Cheers!

Chapter One: Barrel

The next time Richard Harrow saw Alex Roux he was staring at a wall and had his gun pressed to the back of his head.

"This is really unfortunate, Handsome," he said.

Shifting his feet and stretching his fingers across the handle of his gun, Richard twitched his lips under the mask and swallowed. He could hear Jimmy outside, talking on to one of the guys who'd smuggled in the whiskey, and he opened his mouth to shout.

"One word and you'll be staring at your brain," Roux whispered.

Richard shut his mouth, accidentally biting his cheek.

"Why are you betraying." Richard shut his mouth and swallowed, but Roux laughed before he could continue.

"I'm not betraying anyone. Jimmy paid me to kill Manny, I killed Manny, and now I don't work for you guys anymore. I work for who's paying me."

The gun barrel slid across his ear and tapped his metal cheek. Roux stared up at him in the dim light, his high cheekbones making the shadows on his face standout even more. Richard tapped his heels against the floor. Roux cocked his head to the side and tapped Richard's mask with the gun. His collar fell open, his threadbare jacket and shirt barely enough for winter, and Richard stared at Roux's collarbone.

Bless Angela's cooking.

He glanced back up at Roux, who was staring into his good eye with one eyebrow raised.

"You ever going to explain why you've got dog bites all over your face?"

'It's not my face,' Richard thinks. Aloud he says, "Aren't you supposed…to be shooting me?"

"I could if you're getting bored, but I'd really prefer not to."

Richard swung his arm around just as Roux closed his mouth, and Roux crashed against the wall, the back of his head leaving a dark smear of blood across the boards.

"Fuck, Harrow, the hell was that for?"

And Roux looked up into the barrel of Richard's gun.

"Really, Handsome?" he smirked.

"Why do you. Call me." Richard had to swallow the word 'handsome'. "That?"

Roux winked at the barrel of his gun.

"Secrets," he muttered, and Roux dropped to the ground.

Harrow felt his feet leave the floor, and suddenly Roux was on top of him, his hands around Richard's wrist. Roux smashed Richard's hand against the ground, the gun went flying off into the corner, and Richard's mask cut into his skin. Roux had tackled him halfway across the barn.

He felt her leg fall to the side of his, and Richard rammed his knee between Roux's thighs, expecting Roux to crumble to the side. Roux grimaced, rolling his eyes, and Richard felt his mouth open.

"That sort a hurt, Handsome."

"You're a." Richard licked his lips. "Woman?"

And he was suddenly and awkwardly aware of where his knee was.

"You're not."

Richard had had enough pain for a lifetime, and he glared up at Roux who mock pouted and smiled.

He…she picked up her gun and walked towards the back door. Jimmy was trying to bust down the main doors to the barn, but the lock across it held. She stopped in the doorway and waved at Richard, who'd managed to get up onto one knee.

"I was only supposed to delay you and grab the whiskey, but I'll leave the liquor if you keep your mouth shut."

Richard nodded, unable to get his scarred throat to let any air out.

"See you later," she said, and Richard heard the door shut. Through the old wood he heard her shout, "Handsome" as she ran off.

He tried to frown, stumbled back to the ground, and only managed to stand just as Jimmy came crashing through the door.

"The hell, Richard."


	3. Chapter Two: Words

Chapter Three

"Hey, Handsome."

Richard Harrow glanced up at Alex Roux, pulling his straw out of his mouth. It's been one week since she left him writhing on the floor and she'd gotten a black eye and bruised cheek since he'd last seen her. She sat at the bar, curling her cutup fingers around the arms of her chair, and fiddled with her tie. He felt his face twitch.

"What do you," he said, unable to finish it all in one go as the familiar tickle built up in the back of his throat. "Want?"

Alex didn't answer, her eyes on the gin a bartender just sat in front of her. She pressed her bruised knuckles against the ice cold glass.

"No 'thank you' for not shooting you in the face?"

"No," Richard gasped. He took a sip of bourbon through the straw. "You said…you weren't."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, not quite succeeding at ignoring each other. He finally broke while watching her fingers slide around the rim of her drink.

"Why?"

Alex snorted into her drink and grinned. "It's easier," she said. "More jobs, more money for the jobs, less hassling about my job and where I got money."

He eyed her secondhand vest and tie, and she followed his gaze to a hole in her jacket.

"It's an improvement from no money," Alex said softly.

Richard ordered another bourbon in the silence, and Alex spun her glass in circles. Something that had been bothering Richard for weeks bubbled up in the back of his throat, the words, raspy and low, escaping from his lips before he could help it.

"Why do you call me 'Handsome'?"

Alex turned slowly. Her feet hit his leg, and Richard jerked away from the contact. Staring at him incredulously and whistling through her teeth, she grinned.

"I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours."

"What?"

"Handsome, just tell me when you face got close enough to a dog to get bite marks on it," Alex said.


	4. They were dead, and Richard had a Gun

A very, very short chapter. I'm nearing the end of the year, and all of my work is crashing down into my lap. I'm sorry, but the next one will be longer.

**The Darmody's were dead, and Richard Harrow had a Gun**

"This wasn't how I imagined our next meetin', to be honest," Alex said. She licked her lips.

"You were supposed to kill Manny," Richard said.

Pure, unadulterated rage granted him his voice, and he smelled of bleach and blood and gunpowder.

"He'd already been shot when I found him. I shot him again and let him bleed before the nosy neighbors wandered in."

Richard's fingers tightened round the handle. He stared her down, unblinking and quiet, and twisted his ruined mouth into a scowl.

"He should've died."

A shot sounded in the distance.

"He didn't."

Alex didn't know if staring down the barrel of the gun, or into Richard's eye was worse. He hummed and pulled the trigger.


End file.
